Usually separate vertebrae of a vertebrate spinal column, such as a human spinal column, are arranged in a set alignment. However, there are conditions that may change this alignment and thereby affect the vertebrate negatively. A situation wherein the vertebrae do not comply with the normal alignment may be called misalignment. Since the misalignment is based on the relationship between two adjacent vertebrae, it may preferably be referred to as intervertebral misalignment.
One common cause to intervertebral misalignment is the formation of curvatures in the frontal plane, a condition generally called scoliosis. In progressive cases of scoliosis, there may be reasons to reduce or prevent further intervertebral misalignment. Conventionally, reduction and/or prevention of intervertebral misalignment may be accomplished with various forms of braces. However, intervertebral misalignment often requires surgery.
In case of surgery, the spinal column is typically fixed by insertion of rods of stainless steel, so called Harrington rods. However, before the introduction of the surgery of today, in the early 1960s, the spinal column was fixed by letting bone taken from the iliac crest form bony attachments between the misaligned vertebrae.
Another common condition which may cause intervertebral misalignment is spondylolisthesis. This is a condition wherein an inborn weakness in a part of the vertebral arch produces a fracture in the vertebral arch with a displacement within the spinal segment in anterio-posterior direction between two vertebrae. It is most common in the lower lumbar spine. This will result in a gradual narrowing of the spinal canal with compressive injury to nervous tissue in the spinal canal with dysfunction in the legs and sphincters. The progression of this misalignment is usually reduced by fixing the two vertebrae by plates and pedicular screws.
Vertebral subluxation is a minor misalignment mainly acknowledged by chiropractors. The subluxation means that two vertebrae have lost their normal alignment and this may lead to various symptoms. The misalignment may be corrected by manipulation therapy where the vertebrae are brought back into their normal alignment. However, it is not uncommon that the vertebrae are misaligned some time after this correction.
Vertebral fractures often results in a misalignment of the fragments of the fractured vertebra. It is especially deleterious when a fragment of the posterior part of a vertebral body is misplaced into the spinal canal with subsequent injury to the intra spinal nervous tissue. This requires immediate surgery. In the realignment of the vertebral fragments it may be useful to reduce the mobility of an injured vertebral segment.
Hence, there is a need in the art to provide new safer and less complicated ways of reducing and/or preventing intervertebral misalignment.